Door-latch.



J. VAUDREUIL.

DOOR LATCH.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. l8. l9l8.

1,298,266, I Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

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ATTOR N EY JOHN VAUDREUIL, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

DOOR-LATCH.

Application filed March 18, 1918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN VAUDREUIL, a citizen of the United States andresident of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door- Latches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

This invention relates to a fastening device and has for its principal object to provide a simple, cheap and efiicient device especially adapted for use on automobile doors.

My invention has for one of its objects to provide a door catch which will permit the door to be released without the use of a knob or handle and which, due to its peculiar construction requires reater effort to open than to latch there y insuring the door being held in its latch position until it is desired to open the same.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a spring door catch of this nature with means for increasing the tension of the spring as the same deteriorates from con- .tinual use.

The invention in one practical form in which it may be embodied is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a sectional view throu h a door-jamb showing the construction 0 my latgh as indicated by the line 1-'1 of Fig. 2, an

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a doorjamb with parts broken away and in section to more clearly illustrate the invention.

In the drawings 1 is a door member ofa common construction employed in automobile bodies. The wood filler 2 is cut out to receive the latch casing 3 which has movably mounted therein a bolt 4, provided with an opening into which is nested a coiled spring 5. The inner end of the casing 3 is provided with a closure 6 which is cut out to form openings 7 to permit the arms 8 of the bolt member to pass through the closure. Threaded into the closure 7 is a screw 9 which at its inner end abuts the block 10 against which the coiled spring 5 is seated. a bolt slidably mounted in the casing and 100 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 25, 1919.

Serial No. 223,103.

It will be readily seen that the coiled spring 5 will at all tlmes'urge the bolt member 4 outwardly until its inner end abuts the closure member 7 One of the greatest disadvantages of a latch of this nature is in the fact that the tensionof the spring rapidly deteriorates due to the continual use. This is readily overcome by the use of a screw 9 which, upon deterioration of the spring tension, can be turned in against the block 10 thereby increasing the tension of the spring to any desired amount.

Screwed to the door-jamb 11 is a striker plate 12, which in the present instance, I have shown to conform to the shape of the engaging end of the bolt member 4, but

which can be made in various ways Without affecting the operation of my latch.

The engaging end of the bolt 4 is provided with two cam surfaces X and Y of different pitch. The cam surface Y, being the surface which comes into contact with the striker plate 12 when the door is to be closed, is struck upon a much smaller arc than the cam surface X which works against the striker plate upon forcing the door outward. From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that a much greater effort is required to force the door outward from its latched position than to close the same. While I have shown the cam surface X and Y as struck on an arc, it will be appreciated that I might make these surfaces flat and of different pitch without departing from the invention.

To prevent accidental opening of the door when the same is not desired a locking pin 13 is provided having one of its ends crankshaped and adapted to be positioned in the slot 14 formed in one side of the looking bolt. When the lockin pin is in its normal position, as shown in t e drawing, the bolt is free to move in either direction. Upon turning'the pin in a clockwise direction the crank end of the pin will drop into a notch 15 formed at one end of the slot thus looking the bolt against movement.

What is claimed is In a latch of the class described, a casing,

terposed between said adjusting screw and the forward end of the recess. 10

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee, and State of Wisconsin.

JOHN VAUDREUIIVJ. 

